Lost 250 lbs, Gained a Life!

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Time Flies and So Did I

I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months since I wrote. What’s even crazier is that there have been so many things to share! Time has certainly been flying this spring and that’s exactly what I want to share with you before I continue on with the many events that have occurred so far.

One of the women from work was talking about this amazing class she took: Flying Trapeze! I was instantly interested. I listened to her share her experience with Fearless Flyers Academy in Mystic, CT, and I was so ready!

When I committed to RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery I set weight loss goals for myself. Things I would be able to do that I couldn’t do before. I used to always reward myself with food so now I reward myself with adventure and this was right up my alley. Meeting the weight requirement made me jump with joy and I booked a class and my friend Caryn was going to join me.

We show up at Fearless Flyers Academy and we get the warmest greeting from the receptionist. I told her about my weight loss and how I’m so excited to do this. She asked of she could hug me. She knows how hard it is to lose weight and she wanted to let me know she was proud of me and she was as excited for me to be there as I was! What a great way to begin.

The studio is a large warehouse where they have flying trapeze, static trapeze, trampoline, and aerial silks. The flying trapeze area has a large safety net spanning the room and a long ladder leading to the platform. The students range from the very young like 10 years old to some older than my 43 years with varying levels of experience. The class is capped at 10 people so each person has several attempts to learn and fly. There are three instructors as well.

The newbies go to a section and go over the basics, safety, and techniques while the experienced flyers get right to it. In no time I was buckled into my safety harness and before I knew it I was climbing the ladder to the platform.

Trust. It can be a complicated thing especially if you don’t give it easily. When you’re on a small platform HIGH in the air and there’s someone who is holding on to you there’s an element of trust at play. As a very heavy person before I don’t trust anyone can hold me. I had to trust that this man has me. He was confident and I wasn’t. I had to let it go. I had to settle into his expertise and allow myself to believe that I’m not over 400 lbs, that I’m able to trust his abilities to do this work.

I didn’t know if I could support myself or if I’d jump and just drop to the netting. I didn’t know if I could gracefully swing or even listen to the instruction.

After all those moments of hesitation I took the leap and extraordinary things happened! I could swing and support myself. I could hear the instruction and I felt so free and alive. I was able to go several times and it just got better and better.

There’s a sign on the wall that reads: “On the other side of fear lies freedom!”

That, my friends, is so true! If you’re ever in Mystic and want to experience that freedom I highly recommend Fearless Flyers Academy!